


Caw-mmunication

by GooeyHeat



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, more like rivals than enemies tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-07-08 21:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19876465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooeyHeat/pseuds/GooeyHeat
Summary: Aya Shameimaru and Hatate Himekaidou couldn't be more different at first glance, but after a rough introduction to each other, these two tengu soon realize that they may have more in common than they expected.Takes place sometime not too long after Double Spoiler. Rated T for language.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first Touhou fic! I kinda got super into the series all at once within a couple of weeks, so I just had to write something for my favorite obnoxious tengu reporter and her rival.
> 
> Enjoy!

On a late summer evening, in a damp, cool cave on the south side of Youkai Mountain...

A very unique type of battle was taking place.

Momiji Inubashiri, a tough-looking white wolf tengu, guard of the Waterfall of Nine Heavens, was locked in heated combat. Her opponent, Nitori Kawashiro, the Super Youkai Warhead, was a small kappa with a big backpack and a penchant for inventing machines. The two were searching for openings, making plans, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

But this was not some sort of physical altercation, nor was it one of the many flashy danmaku battles that occurred throughout Gensokyo on a regular basis. No, the battle taking place here was the ancient pastime of Tengu Dai Shogi, a large board variant of the classical Japanese chess variant, further customized by the supernatural residents of the Eastern Wonderland.

Momiji and Nitori were not alone in the cave; shogi nights were a somewhat notable social function, where a moderate amount of kappa, some wolf tengu, and a smattering of assorted other youkai got together to play, drink lightly, and generally talk, whether about the game or anything else in the world.

"Magician to G9." Momiji spoke. It was a rough sound, deeper than one might expect. She tended to play carefully, focusing on solid defense before making her attacks.

Nitori took a quick look at the board. She played with a more haphazard, inventive style, with surprising moves and new strategies. It got her less wins, but she found it more fun anyway. "Dragon Horse to K15," she announced. She leaned back in her chair a bit. "Say, Momiji, you're friends with Aya Shameimaru, right?"

Momiji thought back to her various meetings with the crow tengu reporter. Though they'd had lots of battles when they met, somehow the two kept running into each other, and through their back and forth they'd developed a rapport that resembled what some more well-adjusted folks would call friendship. "Something like that," Momiji answered, without looking up from the board. "Why, what did she do this time?"

Nitori chuckled. "Well, she's kinda just been more annoying than usual, really! Like, she's really trying to force some big stories to happen for her paper, but all she's doing is getting on all of our nerves." Nitori leaned on one arm of her chair. "Did something happen at the newspaper convention? I saw the Bunbunmaru was ranked a lot lower than usual," she added, referring to Aya's regular newspaper.

"Hmm..." Momiji grumbled quietly. "Yeah, I think I know what happened. You hear of the Kakashi Spirit News? Ice Fairy to K15 to capture."

Nitori sat up quickly. "Wait, since when do those move like that? I thought they could only move in straight lines!"

"You're thinking of Sunflower Fairy. We added Ice Fairy three weeks ago."

"Ugh, right." Nitori leaned back in her chair. "And yeah, that's that quarterly paper, right? I've looked at it a few times. It's never got too much in the way of up-to-date news, but there's always an interesting perspective in there at least." She thought a moment. "The most recent one felt kinda rushed, though. Seemed out of character." Nitori leaned back over the board. "Drunk Oni to J3."

Momiji peered over the board state and scratched her chin. "Well, that paper is run by a girl named Hatate Himekaidou, and her and Aya had a big fight not too long before the convention. I'm not sure exactly what they were fighting about, but I do know that I used to see Himekaidou every now and then while food shopping after a late guard shift, but I haven't seen her at all since then."

"And you think Aya's worried about that?" Nitori raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound like her to care that much."

Momiji shrugged. "I dunno what goes on in that tengu's head. That's just my guess." She drummed her fingers on her chair's armrest. "Pawn to K8. Promote to Gold General."

"Eh, whatever. I just hope she gets over it. Her 'interviews' have been making it hard for a lot of us kappa to work. Elder Vampire to K8 to capture. I'm gonna go get a drink." Nitori got up and walked off to where some other kappa were sharing some sort of drink, likely a new strange mixture that one of them was showing off.

Momiji quietly looked over the state of the board. She thought of Aya, and wondered what kind of trouble she was getting herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect me to be able to put together a set of consistent rules for Tengu Dai Shogi. My preferred way to write fictional sports is less Quidditch, more Calvinball.


	2. Morning Feud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to post both the Prologue and Chapter 1 at once, since it would feel weird to drop the beginning of an Aya fic without Aya showing up at all. She's just gotta be the center of attention, you know her.

The early morning sun streaked through the trees at the outskirts of the Great Youkai Forest, near the foot of Youkai Mountain. Further into the forest, the sun barely reached the ground at all, leaving it dark all day, but here at the edge, the forest floor was baked in the warm light of dawn. On this morning near the end of summer, one black-and-white witch surveyed the ground, carefully searching and turning up leaves.

Marisa Kirisame stood up straight and wiped some sweat off her brow. Even this early, the ordinary magician was out and about looking for strange mushrooms to use in her spells. Normally, she was able to find most of what she needed for her spells in the Forest of Magic, where she lived. But as the summer turned to fall, a couple of unique varieties tended to pop up on Youkai Mountain, so Marisa would generally take a trip to gather some.

She reached down and plucked up a purple one with a wide cap. That one would make an excellent catalyst for big spells.

A tall, green one with black spots. That one tended to cause unique reactions. Worth experimenting with more.

A short, fat, brown one. That one was great in soup.

Marisa tucked her recent picks into a small basket. She stood up again and stretched, letting the morning light wash over her. She took a deep breath, appreciating the difference in air in the Great Youkai Forest compared to the Forest of Magic. The latter had a heavier feel to it, both due to the lower elevation and the higher concentration of magical energy. The Great Youkai Forest, by contrast, was drier and cleaner, with just the slightest hint of fall peeking through as the summer came to a close.

A sudden breeze interrupted Marisa's reverie. As the gust calmed, a figure slowly floated towards the ground, touching down in front of the witch. The figure had red eyes, and black hair and wore a small red tokin, the signature hat of the tengu, as well as a white blouse and black skirt. She was carrying a notepad and had a camera on a band around her neck.

"Yo, Aya!" Marisa said with a smile. "What's up?"

Aya eyed Marisa suspiciously. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Marisa Kirisame. Come to steal something in the quiet of the early morning, I suspect?"

Marisa's smile faltered a bit. "If I were stealing something, you'd be able to tell." She reached into her bag and held up one of her mushrooms. "I'm just picking mushrooms, see? There's some good ones around here this time of year."

In one quick motion, Aya pulled out her notepad and a pen and started writing quickly. "And did those mushrooms belong to you?"

Marisa rolled her eyes. "They're _mushrooms_ , Aya. They grow in the damn ground. Either I take a few, or some animal munches on them later."

Aya pointed at Marisa with a sudden ferocity. "So, you admit to taking something that someone else could use? Good thing Aya Shameimaru's here to get to the bottom of this latest burglary!"

Marisa leaned her head back, covering her face in exasperation. "Uuuugh, Aya, why are you being such a pain today? Even you don't usually give me this much trouble for no reason!"

Aya put her hands on her hips. "It's a reporter's duty to get the truth of a story, even if it's uncomfortable! And I think there might be quite the story here, even if you're uncomfortable with it!"

"This is some real crap!" Marisa sighed. In frustration, she reached into her pocket and pulls out her mini-Hakkero, her small magical furnace that she uses for combat. "How about if I beat you in a spell card duel, you leave me the hell alone for the day and don't print any bullshit about me in your paper?"

Aya smirked. "You're on, but you know you can't keep up with my speed. I'll have this duel wrapped up and this story in the bag before lunch!" She got ready to leap into the air, but she had barely left the ground when she found herself being hoisted into the air by an unseen assailant.

"Is this tengu bothering you, Miss Kirisame?" a gruff voice spoke. It was Momiji, and she had grabbed Aya by her collar.

Marisa crossed her arms. "Yeah, kinda, but I could've handled her," she said in a huff.

Momiji smiled. "I'm sure you could have, but there's really no reason to be fighting in the forest this early in the morning. How's about I get her off your back and you can go back to collecting your mushrooms?"

Aya flailed her arms and legs ineffectively. Momiji's strength was always surprising, and she was basically helpless. "Don't I get a say in this!?"

"Nope," Momiji deadpanned.

Marisa pretended to think it over. "Alright, I guess that's fine."

"Good." Momiji nodded. "Have a good day," she added, before launching into the air, Aya still flailing around.

"THE TRUTH WILL NOT BE SILENCED..." Aya yelled, her voice trailing off as the two tengu flew towards the top of the Waterfall of Nine Heavens.

* * *

Momiji and Aya crested the top of the waterfall and landed on the riverbank near the edge. Having tired herself out attempting to resist, Aya had settled for crossing her arms and pouting. The two sat on a rock and turned to face the cliff.

Aya was the first to speak. "What the hell was that for? I was doing great work out there before you showed up!"

Momiji scoffed. "Please. The only thing you were doing was disturbing the peace. You know Marisa's always grabbing mushrooms. That's not news, and hounding her about it won't change that."

Aya looked down and away from Momiji, but didn't say anything, so Momiji went on. "So what's really going on? I've seen you get like this a few times, and it ain't normal. Not even for you."

Aya leaned back on her hands and looked up. "Well, the Bunbunmaru did awfully at the newspaper convention, so I've decided to triple my efforts to make it the best tengu paper in Gensokyo!"

Momiji smirked. "Bullshit. Is that what you tell yourself? The Bunbunmaru came in literal, actual last place two years ago, and your only reaction was to laugh and continue going on like you always did. No, you only ever get like this when there's something else on your mind, and you're trying to avoid it. So spit it out."

Aya sat up. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she said, defensively, crossing her arms.

The wolf tengu sighed. "Is this about that fight you had with the reporter from the Kakashi Spirit News?"

Aya jolted. "N-no!" Momiji just looked at her, completely unconvinced. After a few more seconds of Momiji's piercing red-eyed glare, Aya relented. "I was pissed at her then, but now... now for some reason I'm just worried that I made her want to give up entirely. And like, I know she usually keeps to herself, but I'm hearing she hasn't been seen outside at all since the convention? Like, what's up with that? I just..." She trailed off.

Momiji looked at Aya and smiled, but this time it was a warmer smile, rather than a smirk. "You're not the only one who can get the truth out of people."

"Sh-shut up." Aya mumbled.

"At any rate, it sounds to me like you're actually worried about her. Why not just go see her?"  
Aya blinked. "I mean, I just don't want to sound like I bullied someone out of the profession entirely. Us reporters may be in competition, but we still have standards in how we treat each other. I couldn't take that kind of reputation hit."

"Sure, sure." Momiji leaned back and lied down on the ground, looking to the morning sky. "Whatever the reason, it's probably in your best interest to make sure she's okay." She chuckled. "At least it'll give you something to do besides bugging everyone who shows up on the mountain."

Aya mulled this over. She didn't want to admit that Momiji was right, but that was usually proof that Momiji was right. She sighed. "Alright, fine. I guess I'll go check on her. Just for the sake of my pride as a reporter."

"Right. Just for that."

Aya looked at Momiji for a second, but decided not to respond, instead taking off and rocketing into the sky.


	3. Two Birds Walk Into A Bar...

Well, Aya _was_ going to head to Hatate's house, but first she had to find it, and in a place like the Tengu village that meant running into a bunch of people, and running into a bunch of people meant possible news, and that meant trying to get more stories, and oh look it's time for lunch, can't go see Hatate on an empty stomach, oh oh and after lunch is just the *perfect* time to head down to the valley and check on the kappa, and...

By the time Aya ran out of excuses to do literally everything she could think of other than visit Hatate, the sun was firmly to the west of Youkai Mountain, and the air was slowly but surely cooling off.

The tengu village was perhaps the most developed area of Gensokyo that wasn't the human village, but its out-of-the-way nature meant that even the homes were surrounded by natural features, and many were partially or entirely carved into the side of the mountain rather than built to stand freely. Through a series of minor tips, many of which were met with weird looks and raised eyebrows, Aya found herself walking a winding path to a relatively isolated half-cave half-wooden home. Her steps slowed down as she neared the door.

"Ayayaya, what am I doing?" she said to nobody. "This is the worst idea. Why did I let Momiji talk me into it? I could just leave, right now, and everything would be fine." She shook her head. "...if I did that, Momiji would bench press me so hard that I'd die. Might as well get it over with." Aya took one last deep breath, then knocked on the wooden door three times.

No answer.

Aya considered her options, then knocked again.

"...door's unlocked!" a voice from inside called. Aya took the implied invitation and slowly opened the door.

Inside, Aya found herself looking at a pretty standard tengu home. A quick glance around found her in a normal living room with a kitchen and bathroom to the left and right, respectively, and a second room partitioned off. The room was empty, though, so Aya took her shoes off at the door and walked slowly to the partition. She tentatively slid it open.

She was greeted with the sight of stacks of paper, photos, multiple notebooks, and other supplies. They seemed organized, but the sheer number still made them pretty intimidating. In the back of the room, facing the wall, on the floor, sat a tengu with pigtails, writing furiously at a small floor desk. At the sound of the sliding door, she turned around and looked up. Hatate's eyes narrowed as she looked at her visitor, her surprise at anyone appearing at her house replaced with disdain at the person it happened to be.

"So what are _you_ doing here?"

The question hung in the air like a convicted mass murderer. Aya shuffled her feet a bit before digging into her deep well of Reporter Confidence and attempting to answer in the least awkward possible way. "Ah, well, y'know, I was in the neighborhood..." Failed step 1. "And I... wanted to see how you were doing?" Aya attempted to flash one of her winning smiles, but it came off as more sheepish than anything.

"You wanted to see how I was doing." Hatate didn't look amused.

"No! Well, yes! Um..." Aya sighed. "Look, I felt bad about how I treated you back before the newspaper convention, and some folks I know said they hadn't seen you in a while, so I wanted to see if you were okay, and..." She gulped. "Apologize."

Hatate stood to her feet, brushed her skirt off, and turned around, looking at Aya suspiciously but not entirely negatively. "Well," she started, "I... appreciate the effort you put in... but I'll have you know that I have simply been busy, making sure the next edition of the Kakashi Spirit News is up to the standards of quality that its readers have come to expect."

Aya gave a little whistle. "Looks like you've been working pretty hard at that. You sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?"

"I believe I can manage myself quite well, thank you very much." Hatate responded in a haughty tone. At that exact moment, however, karma chose to slap her upside the head, and her statement was punctuated by a loud growl of her stomach. She looked down and to the side, her face slightly turning red.

Aya cocked her head to one side. "Have you been eating?"

Hatate didn't look back at her. "I've got... rice..."

"Yeah, that's not gonna do at all." Aya shook her head. "How's this: we go and get some dinner. I'll pay for it, and if you still hate my guts and would rather not talk to me, that's fine. I won't say anything unless you go first."

"I don't... hate... I never... y'know what, fine," Hatate stammered. "A little change might do my work good, anyway."

"Excellent! Let's get going, I know a good place that shouldn't be too crowded at this hour. Just follow me." Aya turned towards the door and began walking, hoping to get Hatate moving before she could change her mind. Hatate watched her put her shoes on and step outside, then sighed and moved to follow her.

A short flight through the hills of the village took the two tengu to a small bar. A few tengu of various types dotted the tables and bar stools, but it was mostly pretty quiet. Aya and Hatate took a seat at a table near the front window. After ordering some food and drinks, the two sat in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Hatate looked up at Aya. "What's your angle?" she asked.

"Hm?" Aya responded.

"I mean, we're competitors, we fought over our papers, and we haven't seen each other since the convention. What's more, you're not particularly known for being friendly unless you're trying to wrestle a story out of someone. So what do you really want from me, hm?" Hatate tapped a chopstick on the table and raised an eyebrow.

"Oof, sounds like my reputation precedes me, huh?" Aya chuckled, but behind it wasn't mirth. "Well, it would reflect pretty badly on an ace reporter like me if I bullied someone newer to the job right out of the field, wouldn't it?" She winked. "There's a difference between competition and flat-out antagonization, after all."

Hatate didn't look charmed. "So it's just to shore up your own reputation, then. Should've known."

Aya deflated. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ she thought. "N-no!" She composed herself a bit. "I think we just got off on the wrong foot, is all." Hatate eyed her suspiciously, but didn't say anything more.

Another minute passed in silence.

"So, are you covering the Autumn Festival?"

Aya blinked. "Hm?"

"It's coming up soon, and it's always a big event. I'm sure you have plans to get a scoop out of it," Hatate continued.

"Oh! Yeah, it's a big event for the mountain, and sometimes we get folks from further away, too. Plus, it's one of the few big events that both of the shrine maidens get to, which usually leads to some funny stuff." Aya talked more confidently now. "Plus it's the best time to stock up on potatoes. Minoriko can't help but show off, after all." She winked. "I wonder if her and Shizuha will have a fight again this year. That's always funny."

"Ah yes, the big Aki sister fights. Certainly a random occurrence, and not at all sparked by an overzealous reporter and her wily words." For a split second, Aya started at this response, but when she looked at Hatate she saw a mischievous smile.

Aya flashed a cocky smile back. "Well, it isn't _my_ fault they're always trying to one-up each other. Sometimes they just need a little reminder."

Hatate leaned back in her chair. "I have to get a hold of those sisters, too. For the fall edition of the Kakashi, I've been working on a report on a lot of the gods of Youkai Mountain. A lot of people aren't really quite informed of what they do, after all."

Aya chuckled. "I don't envy you trying to get an interview out of Hina Kagiyama."

"For your information, I already interviewed her, and it went wonderfully as a matter of fact!" Hatate leaned forward. "...I had to copy all the notes I took into four notebooks and I still dropped two of them, three of my pens dried up, and I nearly lost my spirit camera in the mud."

Aya laughed out loud this time; it was a loud, hearty sound. "Well, you know how she is!"

Hatate gave a proud smile. "A lot of people don't, actually! She's quite a nice lady when you give her a chance, and she serves an important purpose both to the humans and to the youkai of the mountain. I'm glad I got to meet her."

The conversation grew to a lull as a waiter brought the two tengu their food. Upon seeing something with some actual meat in it, Hatate suddenly remembered just how hungry she was and dug in greedily. Aya took the moment to take a breath and think about what she was really doing here. Hatate seemed... happy, and that was... good? _Why do I care if Hatate's happy?_ Aya thought. Oh well, a question for another time. There was food and drink to be enjoyed.

One meal and a few drinks later, the two tengu were ready to head out. Neither were drunk; tengu had pretty high tolerance, and they both had to work in the morning anyway.

"Well, I guess I did need that. Thanks, Aya," Hatate said, smiling a genuine smile. "Here let me just..." she said, reaching for the check left on their table.

"Nope! I offered, so I'm paying." Aya left some coins on the table, then got up and brushed her dress off. "Anyway, I gotta get home." She smiled back, a signature Aya smile. "See you next week!"

Hatate started to get up, then froze. "Wait, next week?"

Aya was already on her way out. "What, you thought I was gonna let you go back to holing yourself up in your room and not feeding yourself? This is our weekly routine now. Same time, same place." She gave a smirk and a wave, then stopped. Her smile faltered. "I mean, if you're okay with that."

Hatate looked at her with a blank expression. "Well, I'm not sure I expected to be eating dinner with my biggest rival every week..." Aya looked at her, but before she could answer, Hatate went on. "...but I can hardly say no to free food, can I?" Hatate smirked. "Later, Aya."

Aya walked out of the restaurant and took to the skies in an especially breezy manner, flying lightly and without too much force.


	4. Breaking

For the next few weeks, the two tengu settled into a routine. Once a week, the two would meet at the same bar, order dinner and a round of drinks, and just talk. They'd talk about their papers, they'd talk about the inhabitants of Gensokyo, they'd talk about that weird thing Momiji did. What started as an awkward attempt to make peace had quickly developed into a comforting weekly event.

Hatate, in particular, was in better spirits. She found herself going to sleep at more reasonable hours to make sure she wouldn't be tired meeting with Aya, and she had even started taking better care of her hair.

Aya, on the other hand, wasn't quite so fortunate...

It was a cool night, and Aya flitted down past the Waterfall of Nine Heavens, landing on a small stone platform to clear her departure with the white wolf tengu standing guard. It wasn't Momiji; today a shorter tengu with a ponytail stood guard. Aya didn't recognize her, and wondered if she was new.

The wolf tengu stood at attention. "State your business, crow tengu!" she said, loudly. Definitely new; nobody doing the job for more than three months ever sounded like they gave that much of a shit.

Aya smiled at her. "Heading down for some investigative journalism work, ma'am!" she said, copying the wolf's energy. She always humored the new recruits; it kept her on their good side and led to less wasted time.

The wolf smiled. "Approved! Have a nice evening!"

"You too!" Aya waved, as she skipped over the edge and fell into a long dive down the waterfall.

As Aya reached the forest paths beyond Youkai Mountain, she landed and took to walking. The recent appearance of a Buddhist temple had all of Gensokyo talking, and so she decided a trip to the Myouren Temple could dig her up some interesting dirt on the newcomers if she found the right person to talk to. The cool fall air brushed by her as she stepped down the dirt path. Plenty of people had spoken to the Buddhists, but they'd likely be biased for their temple. No, what Aya needed was an outsider who had witnessed the recent events.

She continued to stroll, her pointed tengu ears taking in the sounds of the night. There were few bugs left at this time of the year, so she mostly heard the wind passing through the trees, her own footsteps, a rustling in the bushes, and-

Wait.

Aya kept walking but turned her attention towards the source of the noise. At first, she saw nothing, but a closer look had her see something bright purple in the brush down the road. Preparing herself, she kept walking, until...

"BOO!"

Suddenly, out from the bushes jumped a blue-haired girl brandishing a large, purple umbrella with an eye painted on and a massive tongue hanging downwards. She gracefully twirled the umbrella and lifted it above her head, giving a little wink and sticking her tongue out. "Hee hee, did I scare you?"

Aya thought quickly. "Sure did!" she lied. Knowing when to flatter someone was an important part of being a reporter.

"Oh, yes yes! It's so rare that I really get someone. Sorry sorry, it's nothing personal or anything!" The girl laughed. "You're that tengu reporter that's always out and about, right?"

"Yep! Aya Shameimaru, at your service. Unfortunately, you caught me just on my way to the Myouren Temple, so if you'll excuse me..."

The girl's smile deflated. "Oh, I was going to head that way too after this, since that's where I live, but if you're in a hurry I won't keep you..."

At this, Aya's ears perked up. "You live at the Temple? No offense, but I didn't take you for a Buddhist."

"Oh, I'm not! I just live around the cemetery in the back. Everything's certainly been much more exciting with them around, though!"

Realizing she'd lucked into a golden opportunity, Aya gave one of her winning smiles. "You know, I've been meaning to write something about the new temple, and I think your perspective might just be what I need. How about we talk for a bit, miss..." She trailed off.

"Kogasa Tatara!" The girl smiled again. Aya noticed she had one blue eye and one red one. "And sure, I'll help however I can!"

Aya pulled out her notebook and pen. "Excellent! Okay, so, first..."

This interview was not paying off like Aya had hoped. Basic questions about the temple's inhabitants either led to the same things the Buddhists themselves said or cheery "I don't knows" from Kogasa. Aya rubbed her forehead and decided to push things in her favor a bit more.

"So, Kogasa, the leader of this temple is one Byakuren Hijiri, right? Doesn't she want something weird like peace between humans and youkai?"

Kogasa tilted her head and put a finger to her chin. "Hm... she does talk to her followers about that, yes. Is it really that weird, though? I'm certainly not all that interested in fighting humans, or really doing much more than scaring them, after all..."

"But could you really scare a human if they weren't afraid of a youkai eating them?"

Kogasa thought. "Um... I don't know... I'm honestly not very good at scaring humans now..."

Aya pressed harder. "Wouldn't you say that Byakuren's philosophy would make things even harder for you?"

"No... yes... I don't know..." Kogasa whimpered.

"Wouldn't you agree that, if someone liked this gained enough power, they could destroy the balance of Gensokyo itself?"

"I! Don't! Know!" Kogasa suddenly yelled, swinging her umbrella and unleashing a small spray of rainbow-colored danmaku, which Aya jumped back to dodge. "You're asking all these hard questions about things I don't know much about and I just know you're gonna write all about it in that paper of yours! I'm gonna look like a jerk, and the youkai at the temple might even kick me out of the cemetery! So just... just go away!" Kogasa shrieked, tears in her eyes, before turning her back and running off.

Aya stood in silence for a moment, then she tucked away her notebook and turned back towards Youkai Mountain. She kicked off the ground and soared away.

Tired and annoyed, Aya flew up the waterfall. She stopped at the white wolf tengu's checkpoint. "Reporting my return, ma'am," she said, with little enthusiasm.

"Since when were you so formal with us?" a gruff voice responded.

Aya did a double take. "M-Momiji? You weren't on tonight earlier!"

"The new recruits get half shifts to start off, so I took over for her. Happy to see me?" Momiji said, adding a mischievous grin at the last part.

Aya sighed. "Frankly, no. I had an interview go sour, and I just need to get home."

Momiji's grin subsided. "I saw. That was a pretty sorry display, all things considered."

"Yeah, thanks. I really needed you to diss me tonight, too," Aya grumbled. "Real great knowing someone who can see and hear me screw up from miles away."

"Sit with me for a minute, Aya." The crow groaned, but obliged.

The moon shined over the river below the waterfall, lighting up the autumn night with its silver glow. The two tengu sat in silence near the fall for a minute or so, letting the sound of the water rush past their ears. Eventually, Momiji broke the silence. "How's Hatate doing?"

Aya turned, slightly surprised at the question. "Huh? Oh, she's fine, I suppose. We've been getting dinner every week, and we're gonna go again tomorrow."

"Hm," Momiji grunted. "I saw her again when I was out grocery shopping the other day. She does seem to have a bit more energy these days."

"That's... good, I suppose..." Aya trailed off. "Why?"

"Well, it seems like hanging out with you has been good for her, and I was kinda hoping it would be good for you, too, but..."

Aya stiffened. "But what? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Honestly, Aya, these days you've been pushing things way too far for your paper. You're working yourself too hard, for one. What's more, we've been getting more complaints than usual about tengu reporting, and most of them trace back to you."

Aya's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so that's it? You've been trying to get me out of everyone's hair? You were hoping you could just pacify me like that?"

"Aya, I didn't mean-"

"You think I don't know!?" Aya was yelling now. "You think I don't know what they say about Aya Shameimaru!? 'Oh, that Aya, she's such a pain. Oh, she's always exaggerating her stories. She just bothers people to make news.' You think I don't know what people really think of me!?" There were tears in her eyes. "You think I _like_ that the only way I've ever found success at my job has made damn near everyone I've ever met hate me!? That all the work I put in to keep the Bunbunmaru going and keep food on my table will always result in me being completely, utterly alone!?" She turned towards Momiji. "And do you think I like that the closest thing I have to a friend is a goddamn wolf tengu who sits on a rock all day and criticizes me for doing a job that she wouldn't last a goddamn DAY doing!?" There was fire in her voice now. "No one ever has trouble with you unless they're already causing problems! You're just the guard! You don't have to deal with people's thoughts, their lies, their opinions, and the way they see you! You have friends and a life! And all I have is this damn paper, because keeping it going makes me everyone's enemy!" Aya paused for a bit and took a few shallow breaths. "Fuck you and the cliff you're sitting on. I'm going home, I have work to do." She blasted off into the night sky before Momiji could protest.

The wolf looked up at the moon and sighed.

Hatate Himekaidou was in a good mood. She had just gotten home from an excellent interview with Shizuha Aki, the autumn goddess who controls the turning of the leaves. Getting an interview with her separately from her sister took a bit of effort, but Hatate felt that interviewing them both individually would let her get a more honest perspective on their work and their attitudes. She went to her desk, organized her notes and pictures, and then went to get ready for her dinner with Aya. Hatate had been doing so well recently that she'd gotten a chance to pick up a new blouse; a purple button-up number with a frilled collar. She was happy with it, and figured this little dinner would be a good chance to show it off. She cleaned herself up, changed into her new outfit, and stepped out of the house. She hummed to herself as she floated into a gentle glide towards the bar where the two were supposed to meet.

When she landed in front of the restaurant, Aya wasn't there. Usually Aya got their first, mostly to brag about her speed, but Hatate reminded herself that she was excited about her new blouse and probably just left a bit early. Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

By the time the clock reached twenty minutes past their meeting time, Hatate was uncomfortable. She had just been standing outside the bar and it was starting to make her nervous. She started to think. Her brain latched onto two possibilities, neither of them good. First, maybe Aya had stood her up. Just thinking about this hurt, but Aya had a reputation for not being particularly considerate. Hatate had been trying to push public opinion of the other tengu out of her head, but in a situation like this it was all coming back to her.

She shook her head. _No, Aya wouldn't. At least not the Aya I know_ _,_ she told herself. That left one other possibility: something had happened to her. Also an unpleasant thought. Hatate considered her options, and when the time reached thirty minutes past their designated time, she took a deep breath. She took out her thoughtography camera, punched in "aya shameimaru home" as a key phrase, and looked for a picture that gave her a good idea of where it was. Upon finding it, she flapped her wings and soared off.

Aya's home looked normal from the outside. Hatate touched down on the ground in front of the front door and gave a quick knock. Not hearing an answer, she tried the knob. The door was unlocked, and Hatate reasoned that that meant she was probably home. She opened the door and stepped inside.

It was a mess. Notes, photographs, and all sorts of assorted equipment were scattered all over. What wasn't in view, though, was Aya. Instead, near the back of the room, Hatate saw a messy desk with an empty chair. She walked over to see if there were any clues as to where Aya might have gone, only to nearly trip over the answer she was looking for.

There, passed out on the floor as if she had fallen out of her chair, was Aya Shameimaru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always darkest before the dawn.


	5. Closeup

Aya Shameimaru was used to people being angry at her. She'd come to expect it, really. The harsh tones, the furrowed brows, the rude words, it was all normal for her. Whether it came from a legitimate mistake or an intentional jab for the sake of information, Aya expected people to be mad at her a lot. It just came from how she worked.

So when she woke up to Hatate's face over hers, the last thing she expected to see were tears in her eyes.

"H... Hatate?"

Hatate blinked. She was kneeling on the floor over Aya, and upon hearing her voice and seeing her eyes open, she leaned back a bit. "Can you sit up...?" she asked, her voice wavering a bit. Aya slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows, and Hatate helped her lift into a full sitting position.

Aya looked around. She was at home, on the floor, notes and pictures strewn everywhere. On the floor, on the desk, on the walls. Apart from being on the floor, everything seemed normal.

Well, except that Hatate was there. That wasn't normal.

Aya turned to face her. "Listen, um, sorry about-" she started, only to be interrupted by Hatate suddenly leaning over and hugging her.

"You have to take care of yourself..." Hatate mumbled, her head over Aya's shoulder.

Aya sat there frozen for a few seconds that seemed much longer than they were. Then, slowly, her hands shaking a little bit, she lifted her arms and awkwardly attempted to return the gesture.

A few more endless seconds. Hatate's sharp breaths slowed down to a calmer rhythm.

More seconds. Silence.

After what seemed like an eternity for both of them, Hatate pulled herself back, letting go of Aya. The two tengu looked at each other. Before another lengthy silence could take hold, though, a karmic joker returned to the fray, and Aya's stomach growled loudly. She stifled a laugh, but Hatate didn't look amused.

"Aya... when did you last eat?" Hatate asked, concern in her voice.

Aya scratched the back of her head. "Eh, well, it's only been, like, a day or so, probably, no big deal-"

"I'm making dinner."

"...huh?"

Hatate suddenly stood up. "You haven't eaten in a day, your work is everywhere, and you passed out on the floor. You're gonna eat something here and then get some actual sleep, and I'll make that happen even if I have to f-feed you." She almost made it through the diatribe with full confidence. "Come on, I'll help you into bed. Lemme just set this pillow up so you can sit up..."

By the time the words fully registered in Aya's brain, Hatate was already at the bed, pulling back the blanket and standing the pillow up at the headrest. "Look, you really don't have to do all this for me..." Aya started.

"Aya, you've been doing nice things for me for the past few weeks. The least you can let me do is return the favor, especially when you're in such bad shape." Hatate extended a hand down to Aya. "Come on, I'll help you into bed."

Aya looked up at her for another second, then took her hand and got up slowly. She gave a little smirk. "Heh, I can't say I expected you to take charge like this."

Hatate smiled back at her. "I guess I'm just full of surprises, huh?" she replied, winking. The two stood face to face for a moment. Aya became suddenly aware that Hatate hadn't let go of her hand. A slight blush came to her cheeks. The same realization reached Hatate a second later, causing a similar effect. She let go of Aya's hand and broke eye contact. "Uh, I'm gonna go see what I can make in the kitchen. I might have to buy something..."

Aya waved her hand. "I've got plenty of stuff. I actually stocked up to have more food for the extra hours of work I was gonna put in, but clearly that didn't end up helping, ehehe..." She chuckled, but Hatate didn't look amused.

She shook her head. "Yeah, you better get into bed. Make yourself comfortable, I'll take care of everything."

Aya climbed into bed. "Sorry about this, Hatate. I get if you're mad at me, and, uh..." She trailed off after seeing the lightly incredulous look Hatate was shooting her.

"Aya, I'm literally about to serve you dinner in bed. How in the world would you think I'm mad at you? I'm worried, yeah, but mad?"

Aya paused. "Well, I just..." She trailed off again. She had no answer for that, and so she didn't say any more.

"I'll put some water on for tea first, then I'll see what I can put together in terms of food. You just relax, okay?" Hatate stepped out of Aya's room and into the kitchen, leaving Aya to follow her instructions on her own.

Aya climbed into bed, and started thinking. She thought about her botched interview with Kogasa. She thought about her argument with Momiji. She thought about her slight headache. She thought about how soft Hatate's hand felt. She turned a little bit red again and tried to stop thinking about that last one.

Hatate poured some water into a pot and turned on the stove, then looked around for some food. A quick search revealed some fish packed in ice. That should do.

As she went through the motions of putting together some dinner, her mind wandered. "What am I doing?" she thought. "Why am I making dinner for my rival? What's being going on for the past few weeks?" While cooking the fish, her mind wandered to what had just happened in Aya's room. "Ugh, I _winked_ at her! What was I thinking? I'm so embarrassed... And then I... I held..." She paused. "Oh no."

"Oh no no no."

Her thoughts raced. "No, that's silly. There's no way _that's_ how I feel. I'm just serving her dinner in bed because I'm worried as a fellow tengu, and a fellow reporter. That's normal." Hatate's thoughts managed to be completely unconvincing. She felt stupid.

Luckily for Hatate, despite her absurdly raised heartbeat, she managed to put together two plates of fish and a pair of cups of tea without cutting herself or burning herself. She took a deep breath, then picked up both and tentatively stepped back towards Aya's room.

"A-Aya?"

Aya turned towards her. She was sitting up in her bed, pillows at her back, just as Hatate hoped. "Here you go," Hatate said, handing her a plate and a cup. "Um, I made some for me too, I hope that's okay..."

Aya chuckled darkly. "You know I was supposed to treat you to dinner tonight, right? I can hardly blame you for being hungry." She took her food and drink and placed it on her lap.

Hatate pulled Aya's desk chair over to the bedside and sat down. The two ate and drank in silence for a few minutes, neither making eye contact.

Eventually, Aya spoke up, her voice unusually timid. "It's good... thank you..."

Hatate didn't answer. The two sat in a silence that was most likely shorter than the last, but it felt longer. The autumn sunset streaked in through the windows, bathing the room in a warm light.

Hatate broke the painful silence with a deep breath. "You know, after the convention, I got really determined to improve the Kakashi Spirit News. I holed myself up in my room and would work for hours. I had to do better next time. I had to... I had to beat you."

Aya paused her eating and turned towards Hatate, but didn't speak.

Hatate went on. "But it didn't help. My articles didn't get any better. All I did was tire myself the hell out. But then you..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Once I started spending time with you, I shifted my focus a bit. I gave myself more time to rest, and I started taking more care to line up interviews. And..." She shook her head. "I hate to admit it, but it was in the back of my mind the whole time: it's because you..." Hatate trailed off and looked down.

Aya looked at her. "I... what?"

"You inspired me. You had the courage to go out there and do the work I was afraid to. I..." She looked at Aya to see her smiling. It wasn't her classic smirk, though; the smile was genuine, but a little sad. "What is it?"

Aya shook her head. "I inspired _you?_ That's a surprise and a half."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember back when we fought, and I told you that it didn't really matter what was in an article, as long as the headline and the picture grabbed attention? Truth is... I thought I believed that, but..." Aya chuckled. "Truth is you're ten times the writer I've ever been, and I was afraid to accept that. So after the convention, I dove back into doing what I always do, just trying to push out as much as I could. But if you look at me now..." She put her arms out, gesturing to herself. "Clearly that hasn't worked, huh? I can't just keep forcing myself to do the same thing and hope things get better. So I guess in a way... you inspired me too. It just... it just took me until now to realize it."

Hearing this, Hatate's face turned red again. She looked away quickly, hoping to hide her flush. "T-try and finish your dinner before it gets cold."

Aya complied, sipping her tea and eating her fish in silence. Hatate did the same.

Once the two were finished with their food and drink, Hatate placed her plate and cup aside and stood up. "Here, let me take your stuff, and then I'll help with the pillow." She reached down and took Aya's plate and cup, placing it on the floor. "Now lean forward a bit," she said, reaching behind Aya to move her pillow from the headrest to the mattress.

"Hey, I can probably get this..." Aya started.

"Don't worry about it. Here, move forward a bit more..." Hatate was leaning over Aya now, and she reached behind Aya's back, putting one hand behind her head to try and lower her down to the bed. She slowly brought Aya down until her head was resting on the pillow. At this point, Hatate's face was very close to Aya's.

She stopped moving. The two looked at each other. Aya could feel Hatate's breath on her face.

A few endless seconds passed. A blush crept up both of their faces, almost in sync.

Suddenly, Hatate snapped out of the spell and jerked her head upwards. "I-I'm gonna clean these dishes, and-and-and then I'm gonna make sure you're asleep before I head out, o-okay?"

Aya just silently nodded. Hatate rushed back into the kitchen to start cleaning, and Aya turned over on her side.

The two tengu both tried to think about what had just happened, but between Hatate's nerves and Aya's exhaustion, neither were able to put together a coherent thought. Aya saw Hatate re-enter the room just as she closed her eyes and started to drift off.

Hatate sat back down and waited until Aya's breaths became steady and deep. Then, quietly, she stood up and took her leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoof, this one was a bit tricky.  
> Thanks for sticking with me so far and being patient.


	6. Up Next

"What was that? What _was_ that?"

Hatate paced around her house, talking to herself. It was late in the morning, the day after she found Aya passed out on the floor and helped her, and Hatate's brain was working overtime to try and make sense of what had happened the previous night.

"I cried over her, I made her dinner, and then we... we almost..." Even talking to nobody but herself in the isolation of her own home, Hatate couldn't get the words out. "Ugh, why did I have to start feeling like this about Aya, of all people? She's my competition, not my... UGH!" She dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands. "I'm so stupid... How am I supposed to face her after something like that?"

Hatate spent a few more minutes kneeling in silence, quietly berating herself. Then she flipped open her spirit photography camera. She looked at it, shook her head, closed it, and put it away. "I can't get anything done while I'm like this." She quickly stood up and dusted off her dress. "I need a walk..." Her thoughts kept racing as she stepped out her front door.

Aya Shameimaru flew.

The crow tengu soared through the sky on the brisk fall morning. For the first time in years, though, she flew without a destination. There was no scoop to dig up, no interview to hold, no investigation to hold. Her black wings didn't drive her towards any goal. She simply floated through the air, alone with the wind and her thoughts.

Aya thought about Hatate. The warm, yet awkward feeling in her chest as she did so told her everything she needed to know about the feelings that had built over the past few weeks. From rival, to friend, to crush, Hatate was part of Aya's life now.

Aya chuckled and shook her head. "Momiji's gonna laugh her ass off at me when she finds out," she said under her breath... then her smile faded as she remembered the last time she met the wolf tengu.

Aya thought about Momiji. The two clashed in many petty arguments after they first met, yet somehow Aya couldn't imagine not having her to bounce off of. By all accounts, Momiji should've been the one person in Gensokyo most annoyed with Aya's general attitude, and frequently she probably still was, yet their friendship had blossomed anyway. Momiji's thoughts about Aya's recent work habits had set Aya off the other day, but they weren't incorrect. Perhaps that's part of why Aya had gotten so mad about them.

Aya thought about work. Ever since her initial fight with Hatate and the subsequent newspaper competition, Aya had been pushing and pushing to get more stories out. Part of it was about the Bunbunmaru's poor performance, but Aya had refused to admit to herself until now that she was using it to avoid thinking about how Hatate was doing after those incidents.

Aya continued to think, and she continued to fly.

Hatate walked to a busy square in the tengu village. The square had a small fountain in the middle, surrounded by benches. She took a seat one a bench and let the sounds of the midday crowds drown out her thoughts. The good thing about crowded places, Hatate thought, is that you could be alone in them. Tengu would be too busy milling about, working, buying, and selling to bother someone they didn't have a reason to talk to.

"Hey, Hatate."

...Or not. Hatate turned to the source of her voice to see Momiji Inubashiri sitting next to her on the bench. "Oh, hi. What's up?"

"Not much." Momiji smiled. "It's nice to see you around again. You kinda vanished for a bit after the newspaper competition."

"Oh... yeah, that. I... I just had a lot to do on the Kakashi Spirit News." Hatate said, looking away.

"Mm." Momiji leaned back a bit. "I know we don't really talk all that much, but I was worried about you."

Hatate turned back towards Momiji. "Really?"

"Yep. So much so that I asked a friend of mine to check up on you." Momiji gave a slightly mischievous smile. "I think you might know her."

"Y-y-you're friends with Aya?!" Hatate exclaimed.

Momiji laughed. "Someone's gotta keep her in check, eh?"

Hatate squirmed in her seat. "Have... have you talked to her today?"

Momiji's smile subsided. "I haven't seen her," she said darkly.

The change in tone didn't go unnoticed. "Oh! Well, um... she's fine now, but yesterday I... I went to her house and she had collapsed... L-l-like I said, she's fine now though! I made her some food and she got some sleep. I think she was just working too hard..."

The wolf's mischievous smile returned. "You went to her house and cooked her dinner? Iiiiinteresting."

Hatate turned red. "Hey! Don't get the wrong idea!"

The wolf's smile faded again. "You know, as obnoxious as she can be, I can't help but worry about Aya, too. I'm not sure she ever learned to relax. That's not good for you."

Hatate thought about this a moment. "Yeah... There's a lot of work to be done, but you can't do it if you don't give yourself time to recharge, I think," she concluded.

"Yeah... and Aya's honestly one of the hardest workers I've ever met. There's something admirable about that," Momiji sighed.

"Aw, I think in all the years we've known each other, that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me!"

Hatate and Momiji whipped around to the source of the voice. Aya lightly touched down behind the bench. "Wow, I didn't know you two were such good friends. Saves me the trouble of having to introduce you two shut-ins!" Momiji squinted her eyes at Aya, but Aya continued before she could speak up. "Momiji, I'm sorry about the other night. You were looking out for me, and I really snapped at you. We should stick to arguing over things that _don't_ matter, y'know?" Aya winked. "Seriously, though, sorry."

"Thanks for the apology. I'm sorry, too. I could've been a little more sensitive about the whole thing," Momiji replied.

"Friends?" Aya asked.

Momiji gave a crooked smile. "Something like that."

Aya suddenly leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Momiji. "Ooh, Hatate, you hear that? The great Momiji Inubashiri has _dared_ to call me a friend! I'm... I'm so touched..." Aya said, faking a sniffle.

"If you keep that arm around me any longer, don't expect it to stay attached to your body," Momiji growled, but she was still smiling.

Aya suddenly shot back up and clapped her hands together. "Oh! Also! I need to talk to Hatate!"

Hatate and Momiji just looked at her.

Aya went on. "As in! Momiji! I need you to, like! Not be here!"

Momiji grinned that mischievous smile one more time. "Oh, reeeally? Well, I'd just _hate_ to intrude. See you birds later, I suppose," she said, making a show of getting up and walking away with her hands behind her head. Hatate's face reddened a bit again.

Once Momiji was out of earshot, Aya walked around to the front of the bench, then reached into her bag. "Let's see, let's see... Here it is!" She pulled out a newspaper.  
Hatate cocked an eyebrow. "What, are you trying to sell me your paper?"

"Hey! Let me get to the point!" Aya exclaimed. "There!" She pointed to a small section on the side of one of the pages. "The Autumn Festival at the Hakurei Shrine is this weekend. We should go!"

Hatate put a hand to her chin. "I get why you want to go, but I'm not sure how much I'd get out of it. A quarterly paper like mine doesn't have much use for reporting on things like festivals..."

Aya rolled the paper up and shoved it back in her bag. "No, no, I don't mean to report, but like..." She trailed off. "I mean, like..." Trailed off again. A very slight red tinge dusted her cheeks.

Hatate noticed her heart beating faster and felt her face heat up a bit. "Like..."

Aya looked down and to the side, took a breath, then smiled awkwardly at Hatate. "L-like a date?"

Hatate blushed harder than she ever had before. "Um, uh- Yes! That would- I'd like that, yes!" she stammered.

"Great! That's great!" Aya bounced on her feet a bit, then scratched behind her head. "So... meet you at the shrine at sundown this Saturday?"

"Y-yeah," Hatate stammered.

"Alright. See you later, Hatate," Aya said. She smiled a warm smile, then rocketed into the sky at high speed. Turning upwards and away from the tengu village, she was so full of energy that she decided to do something she hadn't done in years. She flew as high as she could, and then she turned towards the wilderness. Aya took a deep breath in, and then let out a massive "AYAYAYAYAYAAAAAA!" The sound caused a few flocks of crows to disperse from the trees below.

A couple of seconds later. a second "AYAYAYAYAYAAAAAA!" came from the distance. Some more crows flew into the air, and Aya noted that they came from the direction of the Myouren Temple.

Aya whipped out her notebook and pen and jotted down "Unusual echo from temple? Investigate." She thought a moment, and then added "AFTER Autumn Festival" to the end. She smiled, put her notebook and pen away, and launched herself towards home.

On the outskirts of the tengu village, a white wolf tengu's sensitive hearing picked up an unmistakable yell of triumph. Momiji smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm proud of them.


	7. Tonight's Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the longest chapter I've put out. Hopefully I didn't completely blow this; it's kind of a big deal.

"Come on, come on, it has to be around here somewhere..."

Hatate fished around in her closet, moving aside a number of blouses and skirts, as well as a number of less-worn articles of clothing, until she reached her target. "There it is..." she muttered to herself, pulling out a yukata with a simple magenta and black checkered pattern, similar to her favorite skirt. It hadn't seen much wear over the years; she had mostly bought it for festivals, only to end up not going to any, due to nerves. A year ago, Hatate couldn't imagine spending an evening doing much other than researching and writing in the isolation of her own home. But now, not only was she going to a festival, she was going on a date with someone she really liked!

Hatate smiled and admired the yukata. She thought of the time she was about to have, excited for it to be a good one. Her smile slumped, however, as a thought intruded into her reverie.

"Shit, do I know how to put this thing on?"

Twenty minutes, some awkward fumbling, and a handful of swears later, Hatate was festival-ready. She affixed her tokin atop her head - a tengu wasn't a tengu without one, after all - and stepped out her door, a small purse slung over her shoulder. She took a deep breath of the early autumn mountain air; it was still a warm night, as of now, so she would be comfortable in her yukata. With a warm smile, she flapped her wings and took off towards the Hakurei Shrine.

Aya Shameimaru was early.

It was a habit she had from her work; between being the fastest youkai in Gensokyo and the time-sensitivity of gathering information for the Bunbunmaru, a six-thirty planned arrival time would inevitably lead to a six o'clock actual arrival.

She stood on the stairs to the shrine, hoping to look casual. Unfortunately, her outfit drew her some attention that made her more conspicuous than she'd hoped. There was nothing wrong with it, certainly; it was quite a pretty yukata, with a pattern of autumn leaves on it. No, what stood out about Aya's clothing was the fact that it wasn't her normal work uniform. When reporting, Aya would show up at any place at just about any time, and as someone who was nearly always working, she dressed accordingly. Seeing her dressed casually turned a number of heads, especially those who tended to be on the receiving end of her reporting tactics. One such head belonged to an enterprising valley kappa carrying a box up the shrine's stairs.

"Yo, Aya. What's with the outfit? It's not much of a disguise, and everyone here knows who you are anyway," Nitori remarked, looking the tengu up and down.

"Wow, you think the geniuses known as kappa would know that people wear these to festivals pretty frequently. Your research needs some work, methinks," Aya said, with more confidence than she actually had.

"Well, yeah, _visitors_ do. But reporters? I'd think you'd still be in your normal uniform." Nitori replied.

Aya rolled her eyes. "For your information, I am a visitor to this particular festival. I'm not here to take photos, not here to interview anyone, just here to enjoy."

Nitori raised an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe. What's the real plan, here? Gonna goad the Aki sisters into fighting again?"

"Hey, I only did that once! And I'm serious! I'm not working at all tonight. I promised my date that we were just here for fun."

The kappa did a double take. "Wait, you have a date? That's... huh, okay. Well, uh, have fun, I guess." A twinkle appeared in Nitori's eyes. "And maybe treat her to some cucumber rolls. Our stand's probably gonna sell out quick, because they're just so delicious! Wouldn't want that to happen, would ya?"

"Buzz off, Nitori. Or do you want Mystia to outsell you again?" Aya shot back.

"Hey, hey! No dumb bird is gonna get one over on us kappa twice!"

"Yeah, stick it to those birds! They're the worst! Can't stand 'em." Aya smirked.

Nitori didn't say anything, but she stuck her tongue out at Aya before continuing up the stairs to the shrine. Aya turned back out, scanning both the ground and the sky for the one she was waiting for. Her _date_ , she reminded herself. The concept was still pretty new to her, really. Aya was by no means a shy person, but when so many of her interactions with others were related to work (and frequently not particularly positive), something like romance was an unusual change. Against all odds, she was a little bit nervous.

Aya didn't get the chance to dwell on her anxiety for long, as she looked up and saw Hatate alight on the ground in front of the shrine's stairs. The other tengu walked up, her eyes lighting up when she saw Aya.  
"Aya! Hi! Wow, you look great in that!" Hatate exclaimed.

Aya found herself shocked at Hatate's enthusiasm. "Oh! Thanks. Y-you look great too, Hatate," she managed to get out.

"Thank you!" Hatate said, beaming at Aya. "Ready, then?"

"Yeah," Aya replied. Then, with a quiet resolve, she reached out and took Hatate's hand. "Let's go!" Aya felt her face grow warm, but it was worth it. She looked over at her date and was slightly relieved to find she wasn't the only one who was a little bit flushed. Despite her confident greeting, Hatate was just as new to something like this as Aya.

Hand in hand, the two tengu stepped up the stairs to the decorated shrine.

"Alright, Hatate, here's a little trick for festivals at the Hakurei Shrine. The first thing you wanna do is make a donation. The blessing's worth it."

Hatate tilted her head in thought. "Is the Hakurei Shrine's god really one that you'd pray to at an autumn festival?" she asked.

Aya smirked and dropped some coins into the donation box. "Oh, this shrine's blessing is a special one, and it's great at any time of year. It's known as the 'Getting On A Grumpy Shrine Maiden's Good Side' blessing."

"You wouldn't have to deal with a 'grumpy shrine maiden' if you were less of a pain in her ass," a voice interjected from Aya's side. The two tengu turned to see Reimu Hakurei standing with her arms crossed. "So, Aya, what's going on? Usually by now you'd be snapping pictures all over and making a scene for the sake of your rag. Is it not time to pit the Aki sisters against each other or something?" she went on.

"Hey, I only did that twice! Can't a tengu just enjoy a festival with her date without getting accused of causing trouble?" Aya shot back.

"After the amount of trouble you cause wherever you go? Not likely," Reimu smirked. "And your date, huh?" The shrine maiden finally turned to Hatate. "It's nice to meet you, Miss..."

"Hatate Himekaidou. I've heard a lot about you, Reimu. Thank you very much for holding this festival."

Reimu gave a little whistle. "Wow, maybe you should teach Aya to be that polite. She's always making a mess at the worst times."

"Hey, I donated, didn't I?" Aya said indignantly.

"Yes, you did," Reimu conceded. "Enjoy the festival, you two. And Hatate?"

Hatate looked at Reimu. "Huh?"

"Keep this one in check for tonight." With that, Reimu left the two alone.

Hatate watched the shrine maiden walk off, then turned to Aya. "Sounds like you've got quite the history with her, huh?"

Aya waved a hand dismissively. "If you listened to her, you'd only hear about the bad stuff. She'd definitely leave out the time I helped guide her through Former Hell, for example."

Hatate raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a pretty big story for you to not have written about."

"I-I did write about it! You don't remember that story about the mountain gods and the geysers?"

"You sent the shrine maiden down into a death furnace to write a story about hot springs?"

Aya crossed her arms. "Yeah, that story landed like a wet fart in the end. Sometimes the truth about something like that ends up being really boring- shit!"

"What is it, Aya?"

Aya shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "We weren't supposed to talk about work tonight. I'm sorry."

"No, no, I brought it up! S-sorry..." Hatate looked down, embarrassed.

The two tengu stood in silence, an awkward mood settling upon them. Their dwelling was interrupted, however, by a brash, black-and-white-clad magician greeting them with the utmost courtesy and respect.

"Holy shit, there's two of them," Marisa said, with quiet amazement.

"Yes, Marisa, it's quite the surprise! The large tengu society of the mountain actually contains more than one tengu! We can't all be completely unique ordinary magicians, after all, can we?" Aya replied with a bright tone that nonetheless dripped with sarcasm.

Marisa laughed loudly. "Well of course ya can't be me. Sorry to crush your dreams." She put her hands behind her head. "I'm just sayin', I'm surprised I hadn't met your girlfriend before now, Aya!"

"G-girlfriend?" Hatate suddenly exclaimed, turning red. A blush came to Aya's face, too.

Marisa smiled brightly. "Yup, been through that part too. Man, I'm glad Reimu was so straightforward. I must've managed to talk myself out of fifty different plans to tell her how I felt before she asked me instead! Anyway, this ordinary magician needs an ordinary drink. Have fun, you two!" The magician strode off, leaving the two tengu still a bit red, and Aya speechless for the first time in a long time.

After a minute or so, Aya cleared her throat. "Um, how about we get some drinks too?"

"NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!" the tiny oni passing by screamed, causing the pair of tengu to nearly jump out of their skin.

The festival was in full swing. Mystia's lamprey stand, a small stage where the Prismrivers performed, food stalls run by kappa, souvenir stalls run by kappa, games run by kappa... there was no shortage of things to do and see. In the midst of it all, a pair of tengu were locked in intense, yet precise combat.

Aya and Hatate moved slowly and carefully, with steady hands. Each watched their target with focused eyes, waiting for their moment to strike. They made their moves. Carefully... Carefully...

"Aw, no!" Aya yelled, holding up her ripped fish scooper.

"Ha! That's my win!" Hatate smirked, as she deposited another goldfish into her bowl.

"Thank you for playing!" a kappa in round glasses said as the two tengu turned away. Just then, the scent of autumn leaves and sweet potatoes reached Aya and Hatate. Looking up towards the source of the smell, they saw a pair of goddesses; one in a dress reminiscent of autumn leaves, the other in a black and red apron patterned with plants.

"Oh! The Aki sisters are here!" Hatate exclaimed. Shizuha and Minoriko Aki were generally considered to be pretty minor gods, but autumn festivals were their time to shine, and the youkai from Youkai Mountain in particular were happy to celebrate them at this time of year.

Hatate turned to Aya and gave her a mischievous smile. "You better not try and goad them into fighting again this year."

"Hey! I only did that three times!" Aya shot back. "Jeez, can't a tengu appreciate a festival without being put on tribunal?"

Hatate giggled, and the sound was enough to stop Aya's false indignance in its tracks.

"Your laugh is cute," Aya found herself saying before she could stop herself.

"Oh! Um, thanks...!" Hatate responded, blushing again. Once again, the two tengu were saved from their awkward moment, this time by the arrival of the green-haired Moriya shrine maiden.

"Aya! Hatate! I'm glad you came down from the mountain!" Sanae Kochiya said cheerfully. "The Moriya Shrine extends a warm welcome to all." Her friendly disposition was somewhat belied by the conspicuous donation box she held.

Hatate reached into her purse and dropped a few coins into the box. "Thank you, Sanae. We're having a great time. It's actually my first time being at a festival like this."

Sanae's already bright smile somehow brightened further. "I'm so happy to hear that! I hope you can come by more often, it's always a lot of fun. Plus, Reimu gets grumpy if she doesn't have company for too long."

"NO I DON'T!" Reimu shouted from a distance away, clearly a number of drinks into properly enjoying the festival. Sanae, Aya, and Hatate giggled at her response.

Sitting with Reimu and a number of other festival-goers was Kanako Yasaka. She yelled over in the direction of the three. "Oh, Sanae, I think Reimu could use some more company. She's still sounding grumpy. Come on over!" She laughed loudly.

Sanae turned to the tengu. "Ah, Lady Kanako needs me. Enjoy the festival, you two!" She flashed a cheery smile before running off towards her goddess.

Aya smiled at Hatate. "Having fun tonight?"

"Yes! I'm really happy to be here. Especially being here with you, Aya." Hatate responded earnestly.

Aya blushed a little. "Y-yeah! I'm glad I'm here with you too, Hatate."

Their tender moment was cut short by a heated argument from the midst of the festival.

"You're always doing this! Why do you always steal the spotlight?"

"It's not my fault your only power is throwing leaves everywhere! People definitely appreciate the harvest more!"

"If that's true then why do I always have more faith than you?"

"There are more harvest gods than leaf gods and you know it!"

"Oh, making excuses now?"

Shizuha and Minoriko Aki were yelling at each other now, trading barbs. The attention of most of the festival-goers had turned towards them.

"How about we settle this the old-fashioned way?" Shizuha yelled.

"Now you're talking. Three cards each?" Minoriko snapped.

"Make it five! Let's make this one count!"

The two gods floated into the sky, power radiating from them.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Sanae asked those surrounding her.

"That'll be a bigger pain. I say let 'em settle it themselves," Reimu said.

"My money's on Shizuha this time! BEAT HER ASS, LEAF GIRL!" Marisa yelled from Reimu's side.

Aya smiled and feigned wiping a tear. "They didn't even need my help this time... They grow up so fast," she said, throwing in a fake sniffle for good measure.

Hatate looked over at Aya and smirked. "I can't believe the positive impact you've had on our community. Your contributions are unmatched, for sure."

"Aw, Hatate, I think that's just about the nicest thing you've said to me all evening."

Hatate's smile grew more mischievous. "That's because I didn't get a chance to call you pretty yet."

Aya reeled back a bit. "Hey, who said you get to be the confident one?"

Hatate played with one of her twintails. "I guess I'm just full of surprises, hm?"

"I expect nothing less from my 'rival.' Now come on, I know a good spot where we can watch the fight."

The two crows sat side by side on top of the shrine's towering torii, bathed in the warm colors of the autumn gods' danmaku. Patterns of lights filled the sky as the sisters attempted to blow each other out of the air.

Aya stole a look at Hatate. Seeing her face lit up by the magic's glow and her long hair lightly blowing in the autumn breeze, Aya accepted a thought she had spent a lot of time attempting to ignore: Hatate was really, really pretty.

Aya took a deep breath and grasped Hatate's hand in her own. Hatate turned to look at her, wonder in her eyes.

"Aya... Thanks. For everything these past few weeks. I'm really glad to have gotten to know you."

Aya blushed a little and averted her eyes. "I should be thanking you, really. You've given me way more than I deserve."

"Shh... Don't say that. You deserve the world, Aya." Hatate leaned closer. "I'm not sure I can give you that, but..." She trailed off. Aya leaned towards her in return, their faces growing closer.

In the soft light of a magical sky, the two tengu shared their first kiss.

After a few endless seconds, they pulled their lips apart, turned back towards the shining sky, and leaned into each other, the warmth of their embrace saying what words could not.


	8. Epilogue ~ The New Normal

On an early fall evening, in a damp, cool cave on the south side of Youkai Mountain...

A wolf tengu and a kappa battled once again.

As usual, their chosen battlefield was the great board of Tengu Dai Shogi. Momiji and Nitori peered over the board, formulating plans and attempting to read the other's moves, as they had many times before.

The kappa moved a piece. "Flying Stag to D6." She leaned back in her seat. "So. Aya and Hatate, huh? I didn't expect that." The new relationship of the two tengu was one of the few notable events in her life that Aya didn't try to write a story about, but that didn't stop the news from spreading up and down Youkai Mountain anyway.

Momiji's eyes scanned the board. Without looking up, she raised an eyebrow. "You didn't?" she asked calmly.

Nitori shook her head. "Didn't see it coming at all. They're competitors, for one thing, and plus they're so different from each other."

Momiji smiled slightly. "They have more in common than you might expect, really. I've learned that recently. Tsukumogami to D6 to capture," she added, moving her piece.

Nitori's eyes lit up. "Ha! Valley kappa to N11. That's checkmate!" She crossed her arms confidently. "You really can't beat kappa ingenuity!"

Momiji calmly examined the board, making sure Nitori hadn't missed any possible moves. Not that it was likely; Nitori was exceptionally aware of the board state, just like Momiji. The wolf leaned back and grinned. "So it is. Good game, little kappa. Don't expect a plan like that to work again, though."

Nitori jumped to the floor from her seat. "Don't you worry, I'll have a new plan to beat you by next time! Now let's get some drinks."

The wolf and the kappa walked to the table where the sake was kept and poured themselves some. Nitori took a big gulp, then turned to Momiji. "So, do you think Aya's changed now that she's dating Hatate? Is she less annoying?"

Momiji smirked. "Do you seriously think anything could make that crow less annoying?"

"Heh, good point," Nitori laughed

Momiji took a sip, then looked at the ceiling. "Still... I think they're good for each other. They've been through some of the same things, so they keep an eye on each other."

Nitori nodded. "Well, if Momiji Inubashiri approves of their relationship, it must be good."

"What, do you think I'm Aya's mom or something?" Momiji laughed, lightly shoving the kappa. "I'm just happy for them. No matter how much of a pain in the ass they've been, they are my friends," she added wistfully.

Nitori nodded again. "Well, maybe I can finally get something invented in peace, since Aya's got someone else to occupy her time."

The wolf gave a sneaky grin. "Are you kidding me? Hatate's a reporter, too. That means double the annoyance for the rest of us!"

"It's just wishful thinking! You don't have to spoil everything!" Nitori laughed, and Momiji laughed with her.

Aya and Hatate sat on the floor in Aya's house, with notes and photos spread around. Hatate was writing something, while Aya was flipping through some of the photos.

Aya leaned back onto her hands. "You know, I hear there might be a yamabiko at the Myouren Temple."

"Oh really?" Hatate tapped her pen against her cheek absentmindedly. "There wasn't one of those searching for the treasure ship initially, was there? Perhaps they really are gaining followers."

"Hm. Sounds dangerous, maybe," Aya grumbled.

Hatate looked up at her. "I think you could stand to take a bit more time researching things before you start writing stories calling them dangerous. Might make your paper more worth reading. You know, like mine," she added with a wink.

Aya shrugged. "Well, _some_ of us have to put out a paper more than a few times a year. Can't spend all the time in the world figuring out a few things when you have deadlines like that."

"Just make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard. Make sure you know your limits as well as I know them," Hatate smiled.

Aya looked at Hatate and raised an eyebrow. "And what limits of mine do you know so well, huh?"

Hatate twirled the end of one of her twintails. "Well, I know there's a limit of how cute my girlfriend can be before she has to come over here and snuggle me," she smiled.

Aya laughed. "How do you always get me with things like that? Lemme just put away these pictures, and I'll be right over!"

After a short bit of cleanup, Aya obliged with her girlfriend's request. The two cuddled close and kissed each other, putting thoughts of work out of their minds for a good while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who enjoyed my first completed long-form fic! (on the off-chance you know about my KOF work, I'm really sorry about Double Dragons and I do plan on returning to it someday, lmao)  
> I was definitely worried about my interpretations of these characters, so seeing all the positive reception to them made me super happy. Specifically, I'm pleasantly surprised that people enjoyed my more sympathetic take on Aya; as much as I love her as the unrepentant shitbird she tends to be in canon, I definitely could see a more vulnerable side coming out in the right (wrong?) situations. Hatate was tricky, too; she doesn't have that much canon material and what's there in Double Spoiler already paints a different picture than I initially expected of her.  
> Anyway, I do plan on writing more for Touhou. If you enjoyed this then I hope you look forward to any more.  
> Thank you, and have a nice day.


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